The Villain’s White Lotus Halo — Chapter 22

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Chapter 22: Yan Xing (2)

Yan Xing’s blade was named ‘Broken Water’. This name wasn’t one he had given himself.

He believed that a saber was just a saber, so it didn’t need some name.

Instead, his sword’s name was gifted to him by the people around the world.

That year, not long after Yan Xing left the gates of the Sect, he saw that the Wei River of the Eastern Continent was vigorous and broad. The rushing water pierced through the wasteland. Fortunately, he then began travelling along the path of the river. 

Along the way, his spiritual aura began clambering up step by step. When he reached the middle stretch of the river, he had already entered the Enlightenment stage.

He had broken into the next realm too easily, while his aura was too vigorous. It was to the extent that it made an elder who had come across him very unhappy.

That Bao Pu Sect elder made a group of servants put down his litter¹. Like a precious noble, he walked out of the litter in a condescending manner before he began admonishing Yan Xing despite them being still separated by the river.

“Which family’s descendant are you, you’re simply uncouth and terribly rude! When you come across your senior, why did you not restrain your spiritual aura? Being this haughty and arrogant, you will not be able to walk far on the path of cultivation! You must know, ‘slicing water with a sword will only cause the water to flow even more’, and ‘the road to heaven is as far as a muddy road, with pain and suffering no one could endure’. Today’s youth! The moment they have a little bit of power, they think they’re omnipotent! In the future, there’s always a time they fall and tumble.”

Although his words appeared like the reprimands of an elder, they were practically brimming over with curses and resentment.

Yan Xing thought to himself, ‘There was truly no reason in his argument. We are separated by a river. Even if my spiritual aura leaked, it will be impossible for it to collide with you. Besides, your cultivation realm is higher than mine.’

This person had not taught him, and did not raise him. Yet right now, he was assuming the air of elder and lecturing him.

This made Yan Xing remember something his Master had once told him. 

“Not all long-lived cultivators with high cultivation have the demeanor of a very able senior. Inevitably, there will be a few who, the stronger they become, the more arrogant they will be. And the longer they have lived, the more afraid of death they would become. This type of people are the ones who definitely can’t bear to see young ones showing off their abilities. That would make them feel embarrassment and a sense of failure which had been absent during their prime years.”

Then, Yan Xing saw his Master lament, “When this old man was still young, I have come across these types many times. Within my three disciples, you are the one most alike to this old man. In the future, meeting people like this isn’t something you can avoid. At that time, remember this: If you can win against them, then give them a good beating. If you’re no match for them, then you still have to infuriate them to death.”

Finally, the Sword Saint concluded, “Young people will always have to reveal some of their fangs.”

Unfortunately, at this time, Duan ChongXuan had not yet entered their Sect. Otherwise, he would have only needed to say a few words to anger the elder to death.

However, back then, although Yan Xing had still been very young, he had already developed his own style.

He was a youngster. Since he wasn’t happy, it was time to draw his blade.

Yan Xing drew his saber and straightforwardly made a chop!

What he chopped at hadn’t been the person standing on the opposite bank of the river, but rather the rushing water of the river itself!

Three thousand tremendous waves rose from the level ground!

The true essence of the person on the opposite bank flooded out in a boundless manner. In the skies above the river bank, it surged against the tremendous wave!

The water rushed directly into the skies, unending for an entire day. Both sides of the riverbank looked like the aftermath of a great downpour.

This attracted many people to the area above the wastelands. However, for a battle between Enlightenment stage cultivators, the common folk could only watch it from afar.

By the time the river water once again reached the ground, those people were astonished to discover that the course of the Wei River had unexpectedly broken into two. The river had been split at a point and became two streams.

The youth’s saber had already returned to its sheath. His clothes had been thoroughly soaked by the river water, while water also trickled down from the strands of the black hair in front of his forehead.

However, for the people watching him right now, none of them thought he cut a sorry sight. On the contrary, unlimited elation sprung forth in their hearts.

“My Master is Wei JingFeng.”

This sentence was Yan Xing’s reply to the elder’s previous question, ‘Which family’s descendant are you?’

“What do you mean by ‘slicing water with a sword will only cause the water to flow even more’, I don’t understand that.”

The meaning of his words meant: let me slice the water for you to see.

No one knew the follow-up to this rumour, because the story up to that point was already marvellous enough. In fact, it was enough for a powerful youth to gain fame. 

His one slice chopped apart the Wei River.

From henceforth, it made one river divide into two. 

Thus, his saber was named ‘Broken Water’.

When faced with a Bao Pu Sect elder who was only a half-step away from the Immortalization realm, a person like this even dared to pull out his saber to slice water.

However, right now, the same person was hiding in a forest located in the outskirts north of Ye City. He was using a spiritual array he was absolutely terrible at to cautiously hide from a youth who was in a lower cultivation realm compared to himself.

One couldn’t help but say that this was a very tragic scene, tragic to the point it was interesting.

Even Yin BiYue was starting to feel curious, let alone Duan ChongXuan. What exactly was going on here?

Very reluctantly, Yan Xing began explaining the grudge between himself and Qing Lu Jian Sect’s junior Sect Master.

Half a year ago, Yan Xing went to the Southern Continent for ‘Zui Liu Xian²’, which could be found in the wine cellars of Rong City.

He had already travelled for a long time. The drinking buddies who were familiar with him all knew; the more intoxicated Yan Xing was, the more sober and clear his eyes would seem. Besides his drunk ramblings, he wouldn’t look intoxicated at all.

Yan Xing drank from noon to nightfall, until the bar closed shop in the evening. He hadn’t used his true essence to dissipate the wine, so he was long intoxicated. However, as he walked on the streets, his gait was completely steady. No one would be able to tell that by then, he had long been unable to distinguish between men and women, or even human and livestock.

And then, it just so happened that he met Qing Lu Jian Sect’s Song Tang.

Song Tang had been leading a group of his Sect’s disciples. Making haste to Ye City, they had set off from Qing Lu Mountain and were just passing through Rong City. When Song Tang saw the person blocking their way was a cultivator in the Enlightenment realm, he decided to make way for him even though the cultivator was dressed slovenly. However, he ended up being stopped by the cultivator.

“What is your name?”

Due to courtesy, Song Tang introduced himself. “Qing Lu Jian Sect’s Song Tang. Does this Daoist friend have any advice for me?”

But who would have thought that Yan Xing burst into laughter right after hearing his name. “Gifting candy³? This name of yours sounds rather sweet ah, little beauty!”

This was at nighttime, and there weren’t many people on the streets. Anger practically brimming over, Song Tang directly made a strike at Yan Xing with the sheath of his sword.

Yan Xing was already drunk to the point that his thinking were extremely messed up. He thought that since this was the first time he had ever flirted with a girl, letting her hit him once didn’t really matter.

……Hiss, this girl was actually pretty strong.

Song Tang didn’t anticipate that the other cultivator didn’t have any desire of retaliating. In a single strike, he had actually broke the other man’s leg.

However, he couldn’t bring himself to apologize. Fortunately, for a Enlightenment realm cultivator, a wound like this would heal with only a few days of rest. Thus, Song Tang left Yan Xing a bottle of medicinal pellets before leaving.

It was reasonable to say that their affair should have ended here.

Junior Sect Master Song had already hit him, so his anger had dissipated.

Unfortunately, a month later, Yan Xing had a chance encounter with an old drinking buddy at Ye City. Once again, he ended up drinking too much.

Someone asked him, “I heard you actually said Song Tang’s name sounded sweet right in front of him.”

Yan Xing heroically waved his hand. “Ha ha ha! The person himself is sweeter!”

Today’s Tai He Shop had a lot of people, so there was more talking. Not even half a day passed before Yan Xing’s words had spread throughout the whole Ye City.

It was a rumour that could no longer be controlled.

From henceforth, whenever the people of the Southern Continent mentioned Junior Sect Master Song’s name, what they recalled wasn’t Qing Lu Jian Sect. It wasn’t The Elegant Sword or the Feather Clothes Secret Arts either. Rather, they recalled……

——The person himself is sweeter.

Thus, Gifting Candy, ah no. This time, Song Tang was truly quite angry. He vowed to find Yan Xing and duke it out.

Even if there was a gap between their cultivation realms, Song Tang didn’t believe he would lose against Yan Xing for sure.

Yin BiYue felt he could understand Song Tang’s feelings. After all, although he was called Yin BiYue, if someone dared to turn it into ‘hiding the moon, shaming the flowers⁴’, Yin BiYue would also instantly draw his sword and give that person a lesson on how they should conduct themselves!

The main point Chatterbox Duan should have been paying attention to was evidently knocked askew. His smile seemed to harbour some malicious intentions when he asked, “Initially, which leg of yours did he break⁵?”

Yan Xing was startled for a moment before he reacted, “My right leg ah! What the hell are you thinking about??!!”

Yan Xing acknowledged that he was in the wrong, so he wasn’t willing to make a move against Song Tang. He intended to leave the Southern Continent.

The man lamented, “I, Yan Xing, have grown this old, but I have never even held a girl’s hand. However, because of that single sentence, the whole Southern Continent has already turned me into the next DengTu Zi⁶! It’s all because drinking made a complete botch of things, ah!”

Following those words, he immediately took off the wine pot tied to his waist and took a swig.

Yin BiYue was speechless. He took a look at the three of them.

Very good. Three people, and all three of their personalities were completely distinct.

Master!

Were you truly being serious when you accepted us disciples?!

You must have picked the three of us up when you participated in one of those ‘buy a sword, get a free disciple’ giveaways, right?!

After he recounted his own affairs, Yan Xing suddenly remembered Yin BiYue and Duan ChongXuan’s purpose in coming to Ye City. “Fourth junior-apprentice brother, take it easy at the Flower Picking Festival! No one there can win against you!”

Third senior-apprentice brother⁷!

When all is said and done, just where were your and eldest senior-apprentice brother’s baffling confidence in me coming from?!

After Yan Xing drank his wine, he didn’t even care to put away the array left on the ground. He waved his hand and said, “We can’t say whether or not that surname Song will come back later……The green hills never change, the clear water will always flow, we’ll meet again some day! Next time, I’ll invite you guys to a drink!”

Although he had barely finished talking, Yan Xing was already standing three zhang⁸ away.

As he watched Yan Xing’s disappearing back, Yin BiYue quickly became aware of an even graver problem.

Xi Hua Peak was already at odds with Bao Pu Sect, and it was certain that there would be a fierce battle. 

Now, add on how third senior-apprentice brother had offended Qing Lu Jian Sect……In addition, Qing Lu Jian Sect still had a Zhong Shan.

How were they supposed to fight at this Flower Picking Festival?!

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1. A handheld cart. Check https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litter_(vehicle) for a picture!
2. 醉 (zuì): Intoxicated
   留 (liú): To leave, to remain, etc.
   仙 (xiān): Immortal
3. While Song Tang’s actual name was 宋 (just a surname) 棠 (cherry-apple), Yan Xing thought he meant 送 (gifting) 糖 (candy), which sounds the same phonetically.
4. 闭月羞花 (bì yuè xiū huā): an idiom that means ‘female beauty exceeding even that of the natural world’.
5. In Chinese, ‘leg’ can also be slang for that certain male part. It’s frequently called a guy’s ‘third leg’.
6. A famous lecherous character.
7. The raws for this were 湿胸 instead of 师兄. It’s a reference to the Journey to the West, and the author is just trying to make him sound funny and liken him to Zhu Bajie.
8. 丈 (zhàng): Ten Chinese feet (3.3 m)